Let me preface this piece with a little background - I was recently at a local dance club when no less than 3 White women came up to me asking me if I could tell them where they could get their hair cornrowed, how gorgeous my skin was, how they have pretty mixed children from Black men, yadda yadda yadda. On top of that, I watched brothas fawn and paw all over these same White girls the whole night. This seemed very strange to me. I asked myself, why do White girls want to be like Black women so bad yet they benefit from and perpetuate our continued oppression?? And why were my brothas trampling over my beautiful sistas in their stampede to get to these White women??

You may not agree with me or feel me on this subject, but I feel lead to share my feelings anyway.

You can’t be me

You can’t be me
Cause see my hair is
NATURALLY
NAPPY
Pretty God-given kinks!
For them I’m
SHO NUFF
HAPPY
Strong
Like a million black fists
You don’t know nothin bout this
Cause see my hair
NATURALLY KNOWS
How to look
FLY IN CORNROWS

Can’t think of your own style?
My **** is funkyflyfresh,
Tryin to be cool like me?
You just can’t do it chile
Comin up to me talkin bout
“Girlll” this and
“Girrll” that
You’re not a part of my world
You’re just too
.
.
.
.
.
.
flat

You can’t be me
Now don’t mistake this for
Bitterness
You simply can’t replicate
My tight ***
Blackness

You can’t be me
Cause see
I’m Nefertiti’s daughter
I lived on the Serengeti
I swam in Nile water

My folks was slaves
in history
your folks kept mine
in misery

See, we created the dances
you try so hard to copy
We created the delta blues
you try to MO DI FY
I gave birth to the Black Man
You want and try to buy

You can’t be me
Trying to talk like I talk
and
Walk like I walk
African you’re not
I’m built like
The Hottentot

My Blackgirl steelo
You can’t imitate it
Cause me and Cleopatra
See, we is RELATED

You can’t be me
Despite that “brotha” you sportin
Yeah,
I see him on your pale arm
Thinkin he’s now “important”

i do understand where this comes from
but i only get this feelin 'bout the ones
who only seek out black men and the
black men who only seek out white women
then again, who am i to judge.
one thing i was reminded of one day
is that they come from us
Adam and Eve were not two white folk
they were created from the dust of the ground...
so i can only understand the need they feelto
be more like us...
but i don't always like it.
i feel you!
-7